As the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) continues its refueling complex overhaul (RCOH), Sailors are becoming accustomed to the change of pace that comes with RCOH. Many Sailors have taken on jobs that deviate from their rating specialty with temporary additional duty (TAD) assignments that include transportation, security and mess deck duties. For Sailors in George Washington's Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department (AIMD), one of these TAD assignments is the Light Industrial Facility (LIFAC).

LIFAC is implemented for aircraft carriers undergoing RCOH to assist in fabrication and refurbishment of multiple constituents of the ship. LIFAC is divided into preventative maintenance (PM) teams that focus on different areas of refurbishment and maintenance. PM-25 is essentially a catch-all division of LIFAC that handles tasks such as powder coating, sandblasting, painting, welding and woodwork.

"LIFAC is basically a refurb (refurbishment) shop for different components of the ship," said Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Fuel) Airman Joshua Pechatsko, an AIMD Sailor who is currently assigned to the PM-25 team of LIFAC. "All of the broken down pieces of metal, doors, upholstery, hoses, pumps and mechanical components come here and we either rebuild them, refurbish them or send them out to receive new parts."

Like most Sailors who are TAD, Pechatsko has had to step out of his comfort zone to achieve what is required of him while working at LIFAC. Although his current duties are different than what he generally does as an Aviation Boatswain's Mate, the skills learned while working at LIFAC can be used long after his naval career is done.

"I work in the wood shop, so it's nice to learn a trade skill because I'm not planning on fueling jets my entire life," said Pechatsko. "It's good to learn something that I can apply after the Navy. It's also nice being here because I get to help the guys who work on the JP-5 (jet fuel) pumps, so I learn a lot about my job going back there and working with them as well. I kind of get the best of both worlds. I got to do the job, and now I get to see the insides of the job, and how all the parts work."

TAD assignments may be challenging for Sailors, but the opportunity to learn skills outside of their rate can prove to be highly beneficial.

"I've been using the USMAP (United Services Military Apprenticeship Program), and through some investigation we found out that a lot of the jobs we do here like powder coating, sand blasting, painting, the wood shop - they all have USMAP attached to them," said Electronics Technician 2nd Class David Bobikewicz, a petty officer assigned to the PM-25 team of LIFAC. "I'm working on USMAP for different skill trades in here, so that's going to give me an advantage down the road when I have to put together a resume when I get out [of the Navy]. A lot of the guys here have started doing it, so it's preparing them for training outside of their specific rate, and that's a really great thing for them."

The number of personnel sent on TAD assignments during RCOH can fluctuate depending on the ship's requirement and the need of Sailors in certain areas. Occasionally, the manning in a particular work center may lessen while the workload remains the same. This can put a strain on Sailors, but with diligence they are still able to complete their tasks.

"The toughest part of working here is that we get a lot put on us in a short amount of time," said Pechatsko. "We have people transferring out so our manning is lowering, so it's challenging, but we always get the job done. We see things come in here in bad shape, and we're able turn them out in pristine condition."

Sailors currently assigned to LIFAC realize just how vital their job is to the overall success of George Washington's RCOH. Each part that comes through their shop is an essential piece necessary to getting the ship back to an operational status.

"What we do here is very important because we're working on a lot of important pieces of the ship," said Pechatsko. "Things like reactor pumps and reactor valves - obviously without those parts built or fixed the ship can't run. Also working on things as simple as doors; it may not sound all that important, but without watertight doors the ship can't operate. It's up to us to get all of these parts refurbished and back to the ship because without them, the ship isn't going anywhere."

As George Washington approaches its six-month mark of RCOH, the importance of TAD assignments such as LIFAC is becoming more apparent. The ability of George Washington's crew to take on responsibilities outside of their areas of familiarity has contributed to the ship's RCOH proceeding seamlessly thus far. Sailors like LIFAC's PM-25 team are imperative to the successful completion of RCOH, and the return of George Washington back into the fleet.

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